Steam cleansing device for locomotive and similar boilers



April 1930- c. A. A. WESTERBERG 1,755,855

STEAM CLEANSING DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVE AND SIMILAR BOILERS Filed June 19, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l April 22, 1930. c. A. A. WESTERBERG 1,755,855

STEAM CLEANSING DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVE AND SIMILAR'BOILERS Filed June 19, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 1930- c. A. A. WESTERBERG 1,755,855

STEAM CLEANSING DEVICE FOR LQCOMOTIVE AND SIMILAR BOILERS Filed June 19, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J jf4a //a 5a w I lNvelv g Patented Apr. 22, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v CARL AXEL ARVID WESTERBERG, OF STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, ASSIGNOR TO AKTIE- BOLAGET SUPERIOR, OF STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN STEAM CLEANSING DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVE AND SIMILAR BOIIlERS Application filed June 19, 1925, Serial No. 38,330, and in Sweden July 22, 1924.

This invention relates to steam cleansing devices for locomotive or similar boilers, comprising a steam supply pipe movable in the wall of the furnace and having a discharge nozzle, the discharge opening of which has such a shape that the-escaping steam jet w1ll be fan-shaped.

Steam sweeping devices of this kind, hitherto known, are provided with driving mem- [0 bers in order to move the steam supply pipe into and out of the furnace and also to rotate said pipe through a certain angle, so as to cause the steam escaping from the nozzle to sweep over all of the surfaces or fiues and tubes to be cleaned. The said double movement of the steam supply pipe causes that the driving members and their controlling devices, which are generally operated from the drivers cabin, will be more or less complicated.

The present invention has for its object to overcome the said drawback by rendering it possible to perform the required cleansing through simply rotating the steam supply pipe and its discharge nozzle.

The invention consists essentially in this that the steam supply pipe is arranged in such manner that its nozzle is permanently located in the furnace and that the nozzle and, if desired, also the steam supply pipe or part thereof is made from material (fire-proof) which will not be injured by the contacting furnace gases atthe temperatures prevailing in the furnace. The rotation of the steam supply pipe with the nozzle, or, if desired of the nozzle only, necessary for the proper sweeping operation may be effected automatically he means of a piston steam engine. In the annexed drawings some forms of embodiment of a device according to this invention are shown. Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a locomotive boiler having a steam sweeping device according'to the invention, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 4 showing, on

an enlarged scale, the steam sweeping device proper and an apparatus for automatically turning the steam supply pipe. Fig. 4 is a sectional side view and Fig. 4 a horizontal sectional view thereof. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and shows a somewhat modified arrangement for turning the steam supply pipe. Fig. 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates the shell plate of the locomotive boiler and 2 the furnace plate, while 3 designates the boiler tubes, 4 the furnace and 5 the fire bridge preventing the fire from entering the tubes directly. Arranged on each side of the locomotive is a pipe 6 passing through the water room between the plates 1 and 2 and fitting water tight to said plates, the supply pipes 7 and the nozzles 8 of the steam cleansing devices being arranged in said pipes 6. Firmly secured to the said pipe 6 is the housing 9 containing the driving members for the steam supply pipe 7, the sweeping steam being supplied to said housing through the inlet 10. The nozzle 8, which has in known manner such a shape that the escaping steam jet obtains a fanshape, as apparaent' from Fig. 2, is according to the invention permanently located in the furnace 4 and made from such a material which will not be injured by the furnace gases at the temperatures prevailing in the furnace. When sweeping the tubes 3 the pipe 7 with the nozzle 8 has only to be turned through a certain angle, for instance the angle a in Fig. 1, which will in the following be called the active angle, whereas the angle 7) in the same figure will be called the inactive angle and be considered in case of the steam supply pipe with the nozzle being rotated wholly around.

Figs. 3 to 5 show a device for turning the pipe 7 with the nozzle 8 automatically. In

' the said Figures, as in Figs. 1 and 2, 1 designates the shell plate of the boiler, 2 the furnace plate, 6 the pipe arranged therebetween and surrounding the steam supply 7 with the nozzle 8, 9 the housing containing said pipe 7 and its driving members and 10 the steam inlet to said housing.

In this casethe driving device comprises a piston steam engine consisting of two alternately acting steam cylinders 11 and 11*, Fig. 4, having a common slide control device 12 of known type and to the piston rods 13 and 13 of which are swingably connected pawls 14 and 14, respectively, acted on by rin 15 (one of which only is visible in l g. and meshing with ratchet wheels 16, 5 which are firmly connected to the steam supply pi ,e 7 rotatably mounted in the'housmg 9 and havin a closed end. Firmly secured to said close end of the pipe 7 is, besides, a larger ratchet wheel 17 with which co-opm erates a pawl 18 swingably connected to one of the pistonrods, in the present case to the,

piston rod 13, and acted on by a spring 19 tendin to holdithe pawl 18 into engagement with t e teeth of the wheel 17, as do the springs with respect to the pawls 14, 14 and the corresponding wheels 16. By using a double-acting engine, as shown, the alternately acting piston rods 13 and 13 of which are connected to each of the pawls 14 and 14,

20 a continuous rotation of the pipe 7 will be rformed when moving through the angle in Fig. 1. However, the engine may, if desired, be single-acting and there may be but one pawl 14 and one wheel 16, in which case the pipe 7 will obtain an intermittent rotation also when moving throii h the said angle 7).

As shown in Fig. 4", t e piston steam engine may be replaced by a turbine or an electric motor 25 operating, by means of a screw gearing 26, a crank shaft 27 having two oppositely turned cranks 28 and 29, to which the pawls 14, 18 and 14', respectively, are

connected. As apparent from Fig. 4, the pitch of the teeth of the larger wheel 17 is considerably less than the itch of the teeth of the smaller wheels 16, an further, the said wheels 16 and 17 are rovided with teeth along part of the circum erence only in such manner that with- 40 in the'angle, where the teeth of the larger wheel 17 are located, the smaller wheels 16 are provided each with a smooth cylindrical surace without teeth, and similarl the larger wheel 17 is provided with a smootll cylindrical surface within the angle, where the teeth of the smaller wheels 16 are located.- Thus, the pawl'18 will, obviously, be active during acertain part of the turn and the pawls 14, 14 will be active during the remaining part of the turn. Besides, the pawl 18 cooperates with an abutment 20 arranged in the housing, 9 and having the shape of an inclined plate which is ivotally mounted in the housing and may [Fe adjusted into different positions by means of an adjusting screw 21 screwed into the housing. When moving the pawl 18 towards the right in Fig. 4, the said abutment 20 will raise the pawl out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 17, so that said pawl will on its rearward stroke be brought intoengagement with a tooth of the wheel 17 first after having passed part of said stroke. By such means it is possible to bring'the pawl 18 into en agement with I5 all ofthe teeth of the wheel 1 the one after the other, independent of the length of stroke of the piston rod 13 and thus to impart a relatively slow rotary motion to the steam supply pipe 7 within the angle corresponding to the active angle a of Fig. 1 where the wheel 17 is provided with teeth. On the other hand the whole length of stroke of the piston rods 13, 13 is utilized with respect to the pawls 14, 14, whereby the turning of the steam supply pipe 7 with the nozzle within the angle corresponding to the inactive angle b of Fig. 1, where the wheels 16 are provided with teeth, will be performed'at a relatively great speed, all the more as the pawls 14, 14 act alternatively and thus perform a continuous rotation of the pipe 7. In. order to prevent steam from bein supplied to the pipe 7 and the nozzle 8 w on turning the pipe through the said inactive angle, the pipe 7 and the corresponding part of the housing 9 are formed as a valve device, as apparent from Figs. 3 and 5, the pipe being provided with a longitudinal slot 22, which is covered by the seat 23 for the pipe formed in the housing when turning the pipe through the said part of the turn. When turning the pipe 7 through the active angle, the slot 22 is, on the other hand,-in direct communication with the steam inlet 10, as apparent from Figs. 3 and 5.

The steam conduit 24 of the steam engine 11, 12 may, preferably,'be in direct communication with the steam inlet 10 to the housing 9, as apparent from Figs. 3 and 4, so that the steam engine will be started simultaneously with. the admission of the cleansing steam,-

drivers cabin. To begin with the steam pipe 7 with the nozzle 8 will thus be putin a relatively slow rotary motion by means of the driving devices 17, 18, as described above, and the sweepin of'the boiler tubes will be performed,-an then the pipe 7 will be put in arelatively speedy rotary motion by means of the driving devices 14, 16, the steam supply to the pipe 7 being in this case shut ofi', as mentioned.

Obviously, the above mentioned active turning angle of the nozzle 8 may be varied when required and with respect to different boiler types by suitably choosing the length of arcs of the toothed parts of the wheels 17 and 16, and also the speed of rotation through the said angle may be varied by adjusting the abutment 20 or by replacing the wheel 17 by a wheel having another tooth pitch.

It is evident that a steam cleansing device according to the invention may be located in the roof of the furnace instead of in the side walls, as shown, or at the same time in the roof and in the one or both side walls.

Obviously, it is possible to provide the wheel 17 adapted to rotate thenozzle through the active an le with teeth all around, because said wheel Wlll in spite thereof at all events be inactive, when the wheels 16 having the teeth which will, preferably, beeflected from the of greater pitch are put into action and because the main feature is that the ratchet wheels 16 only, which have to rotate the nozzle througlfthe inactive angle, have no teeth at the part of the circumference, which corresponds. to the first mentioned active angle.

What I. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, of the United States of America is 1. The combination with a boiler including a furnace, a set of fire tubes extending from said furnace through the boiler barrel and a water leg forming a wall of said furnace, of a steam discharge pipe extending through said gine being mutually connected, so that the engine will be started simultaneously with the admission of cleaning steam to the nozzle.

'2. The combination with a boiler including a furnace, a set of fire tubes extending from said furnace through. the boiler barrel.

and a water leg forming a wall of said fur nace, of a steam discharge pipe extending through said leg to said furnace and forming an angle with said boiler tubes and having a nozzle, said nozzle being permanently located in the furnace, and being flared to effect a fan-like spreading of cleaning steam, means for effecting an intermittent rotation of said nozzle through an angle, where the opening of said nozzle is directed towards the boiler tubes for directing the steam into said tubes, and for rotating the nozzle through an angle, where the said opening is directed away from said tubes, and means for automatically shutting off the supply of steam to the nozzle during the turning thereof through saidlastmentioned angle.

3. The combination with a boiler including a furnace, a set of fire tubes extending from said furnace through the boiler barrel and a water leg forming a wall of said furnace, of a steam discharge pipe extending through said leg to said furnace and forming an angle with said boiler tubes and having a nozzle secured to it, said nozzle bein permanently located in the furnace, and eing further flared to effect a fan-like spreading of cleaning steam, and a piston steam engine for-ef' fecting a. rotation of said pipe and nozzle, the piston rod of said engine having connected to it at least one pawl, which co-operates with a ratchet wheel firmly connected to said pipe, so as to effect an intermittent turning of the pipe and the nozzle.

4. The combination with a boiler including a furnace, a set of-fire tubes extendin from said furnace through the boiler barre and a water leg forming a wall of said furnace, of a steam discharge pipe extending through said leg to said furnace and forming an angle with said boiler tubes and having a' nozzle secured to it, said nozzle being permanently located in the furnace, and being flared to effect a fanlike spreading of cleaning steam, and a piston steam engine for effecting a rotation of said pipe and nozzle, at least two ratchet wheels eing connected to said pipe and co-operating with a corresponding number of pawls connected to the piston rod of said engine, one of said wheels being adapted for rotating the nozzle through the angle, where the opening of the nozzle is directed towards the boiler tubes, and the other wheel bein adapted for rotating the nozzle through t e rest of the turn, said last mentioned ratchet wheel having no teeth at the ference, which correspon tioned turning angle.

5. An arrangement according to claim '4, characterized by the pawl, which meshes with the ratchet wheel adapted for rotating the nozzle through the active angle, coo crating with a stationary and adjustable a utment of such a shape and so mounted that said abutment raises the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet vwheel during part of its idle to said first menstroke, so as to cause the pawl to engalgfna tooth of the ratchet wheelon its wor g art of its circum- 

